Consumer medicine information

MODAFIN

MODAFIN

Modafinil

Consumer Medicine Information

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about MODAFIN tablets. As this leaflet does not contain all the available information, it is important that you talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you receiving MODAFIN against the benefits this medicine is expected to have for you.

If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.

What MODAFIN is used for

MODAFIN is used to improve wakefulness in people with excessive daytime sleepiness associated with the medical condition known as narcolepsy or with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea/Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS), or shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).

In narcolepsy, there is a sudden and irresistible tendency to fall asleep during normal waking hours. This happens at unpredictable times, even when it is inappropriate or may be unsafe to do so. MODAFIN decreases this unwanted excessive daytime sleepiness.

With OSAHS, daytime sleepiness may occur due to an interrupted night time sleep. MODAFIN only treats the symptom of sleepiness and does not treat the cause of OSAHS. Whilst taking MODAFIN you should continue with treatments intended to help manage your underlying medical condition, such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

If you have been diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD) and non-drug therapies have been unsuitable or unsuccessful, MODAFIN may be prescribed to keep you awake during your work shift.

Precisely how MODAFIN works is not known, but it is known that it acts on the central nervous system (the brain). It differs from other stimulant medicines that promote wakefulness. MODAFIN increases wakefulness. Unlike other stimulants it does not overstimulate or produce a “high” feeling.

Your doctor may have prescribed MODAFIN for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why MODAFIN has been prescribed for you.

Before you take MODAFIN

When you must not take it

You must not take MODAFIN if you:

  • are allergic to modafinil or any of the other ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet. (See “MODAFIN tablets description”). Signs of allergic reaction may include a skin rash, itching, shortness of breath or swelling of the face, lips or tongue
  • are pregnant currently, planning to become pregnant or likely to become pregnant or are breastfeeding.

If you could become pregnant, you should confirm by a pregnancy test that you are not pregnant within a week prior to starting treatment. Modafinil is suspected to cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy.

Do not take MODAFIN if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering or the tablets do not look quite right.

Do not take MODAFIN if the expiry date on the pack has passed.

If you are not sure about whether you should start taking MODAFIN, you should contact your doctor.

Before you take it

Before you start taking MODAFIN you should discuss with your doctor any of the following points which apply to you. If you:

  • are under 18 or over 65 years old
  • have a history of mental health problems
  • have heart problems, including, for example, angina (chest pain), previous heart attack, enlarged heart
  • have an abnormal/irregular heart rhythm
  • have high blood pressure or your high blood pressure is controlled by medication
  • have kidney or liver problems
  • are taking hormonal contraceptives
  • are pregnant, could become pregnant or are planning to become pregnant
  • are currently receiving treatment for anxiety
  • are breastfeeding
  • are taking brain stimulants, such as methylphenidate
  • are taking any medicines to treat depression, including those called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
  • are taking medicines to treat epilepsy or fits, such as phenytoin, carbamazepine and phenobarbitone
  • are taking medicines to treat fungal infections, such as ketoconazole and itraconazole
  • are taking medicines to help you sleep (sedatives)
  • are taking rifampicin, an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis
  • are taking cyclosporin, a medicine used to stop organ transplant rejection
  • are taking propranolol, a medicine used to treat, for example, high blood pressure, heart problems or migraine
  • are taking warfarin, a medicine used to prevent unwanted blood clotting
  • are taking theophylline, a medicine used in asthma and lung problems
  • are taking any other medicines, including any available without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop

Tell your doctor about any of the above before you take MODAFIN. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of using MODAFIN.

How to take MODAFIN

It is important that you take this medicine as directed by the doctor. Your doctor will tell you how much you should take, when and how often. Follow your doctor’s instructions. If you are unsure ask your doctor or pharmacist.

How much should you take

Each MODAFIN tablet contains 100mg of modafinil.

The usual daily dose of modafinil depends on individual response.

For sleepiness associated with narcolepsy or OSAHS, the dose ranges from 200mg to 400mg.

Each day you should take either:

  • two MODAFIN tablets
    or
  • up to four MODAFIN tablets.

For SWSD, a dose of 200mg is recommended.

Do not exceed the recommended daily dose unless directed to do so by your doctor.

When and how should you take the tablets

For sleepiness associated with narcolepsy or OSAHS, you should take your MODAFIN tablets either:

  • as two separate doses, one in the morning and one at midday,
    or
  • as one dose, in the morning.

For narcolepsy or OSAHS, do not take your MODAFIN tablets later than midday, or you may have trouble sleeping at night.

For SWSD, you should take your MODAFIN tablets as a single dose 1 hour prior to commencing your shift work.

Swallow the tablets whole with a little water.

NOTE: Your doctor may start your treatment with less than two tablets a day.
If you need more than two tablets per day, your doctor should increase the dose stepwise, one additional tablet at a time, depending on how you respond to the treatment. The highest dose is four tablets per day.

If you are currently on another treatment for narcolepsy, your doctor will advise you how best to withdraw from that treatment and begin taking MODAFIN. Other stimulants used for narcolepsy may cause a “high” feeling. Be aware therefore that you may feel different as you withdraw from other stimulants.

MODAFIN only treats the symptom of sleepiness. Other treatments intended to help manage your underlying medical condition should still be used regularly, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. You should commence or continue disease-modifying interventions (for example, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure).

REMEMBER: This medicine is only for you. Only a doctor can prescribe it for you. Never give it to anyone else. It may harm them, even if their symptoms appear to be the same as yours.

If you forget to take it

If you miss a dose of MODAFIN tablets, just take the next dose at your usual time. Do not take an extra dose to “catch up”.

While you are taking MODAFIN

Things you must do

If you could become pregnant, you should confirm by a pregnancy test that you are not pregnant within a week prior to starting treatment.

Tell your doctor if you are planning to become pregnant. If you become pregnant while you are taking MODAFIN, stop taking it and tell your doctor immediately.

If you are about to be started on any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking MODAFIN.

Tell your doctor if you believe that MODAFIN is not helping your condition. Your doctor may need to change the dose.

Things you must not do

Do not give MODAFIN to anyone else, even if they have the same symptoms as you.

Things to be careful of

MODAFIN may reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives (including the contraceptive pill, implants, injectables and some intrauterine devices (IUDs)). If you are using these forms of contraceptives you should either use an alternative non-hormonal birth control method together with your current contraceptive while taking MODAFIN and for 2 months after you stop treatment with MODAFIN.

Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how MODAFIN affects you.

Side Effects

MODAFIN may cause you to have a serious rash. Stop MODAFIN and call your doctor right away or get emergency treatment if you have a skin rash, hives, sores in your mouth, or your skin blisters and peels, or if you have any sudden wheeziness, difficulty in breathing, swelling, rash or itching (especially affecting the whole body).

MODAFIN may cause the following side effects in some people. In clinical studies, these side effects also occurred in people who received non-active (sugar) tablets. Tell your doctor if you notice any of these:

  • headache
  • nausea
  • diarrhoea
  • dry mouth
  • poor appetite
  • runny nose
  • sore throat
  • nervous feeling
  • dizziness
  • back pain
  • feeling anxious
  • upset stomach
  • trouble sleeping

Tell your doctor immediately if any of the following occur:

  • skin rash, hives, sores in your mouth, or your skin blisters and peels,
  • swelling of your face, eyes, lips, tongue or throat,
  • trouble swallowing or breathing
  • fever, shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, yellowing of the skin or white of the eyes or dark urine.
  • mental (psychiatric) symptoms. including depression, anxiety, aggression, agitation, irritability, hallucinations, mania, thoughts of suicide or other mental problems.
  • Chest pain or abnormal heart beats
  • Fits or convulsions

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients.

Tell your doctor if you notice anything that makes you feel unwell. Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Overdosage

Immediately telephone your doctor, or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26 in Australia or 0800 764 766 in New Zealand), or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital, if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much MODAFIN. Do this, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

MODAFIN tablets description

Each MODAFIN tablet contains 100mg of modafinil.

Each tablet also contains the following inactive ingredients:

  • lactose monohydrate
  • microcrystalline cellulose
  • mannitol
  • crospovidone
  • povidone
  • magnesium stearate.

This medicine contains sugars as lactose.

MODAFIN tablets are white to off-white, capsule shape, biconvex, uncoated tablets with ‘L233’ debossed on one side and plain on the other side.

MODAFIN 100 mg tablets are available in packs of 30 and 60 tablets.

Storage

Keep MODAFIN tablets in the original pack until it is time to take them.

Store MODAFIN tablets below 25°C. Keep the pack in a cool, dry place and away from direct heat and sunlight.

Do not store MODAFIN tablets in the bathroom or near a sink.

Keep MODAFIN tablets where children cannot reach them. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

This is not all the information available on MODAFIN. If you have any more questions or are unsure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

MODAFIN is supplied in Australia by:

Arrow Pharma Pty Ltd
15 – 17 Chapel Street
Cremorne Victoria 3121

AUST R 230327

This leaflet was prepared in December 2021.

Published by MIMS January 2022